Thursday, January 9, 2014

IBN7 managing editor Ashutosh, leaves to join AAP

There was plenty of buzz on Twitter since last evening, that a senior journalist was set to join the Aam Aadmi Party as it heads into the Lok Sabha polls later this year.

After many tweets and much speculation, it has been confirmed that IBN7's managing editor Ashutosh will be leaving journalism to join the party.

While the senior journalist has confirmed his resignation, he has not yet confirmed that he will be joining the political party and a formal announcement is expected soon.

Network18 confirmed that Ashutosh was leaving IBN7 and would be replaced by Vinay Tewari, Managing Director, CNN-IBN.

"Ashutosh has played a key role in IBN7’s emergence as one of the most credible brands in Hindi news. We thank him for his immense contribution and commitment to the Network. Vinay has led CNN-IBN admirably and in this expanded mandate, we’re confident that he will not only take IBN7 to new heights editorially but also strengthen our general news network further," B Sai Kumar, Group CEO of Network 18, said in the statement.

In the statement, Ashutosh thanked all his colleagues for their support.

"Building IBN7 into what it is today has been one of the most satisfying experiences of my professional journey. I would like to thank all my colleagues for their support and look forward to newer challenges," he said.

Other former journalists in the Aam Aadmi Party include Manish Sisodia, who is presently Education Minister of Delhi and Shazia Ilmi. Many other former professionals like Meera Sanyal, Gopinath and V Balakrishnan are among those who have joined the party ahead of the national elections to be held later this year.